Because of COVID-19, it was impossible to have a physical meeting
between the EU and the Eastern Partnership countries leaders. Therefore
the European Council President Charles Michel had a video conference
with the state leaders or heads of the governments of the 27 EU member
states, as well as leaders of the Eastern Partnership countries:
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and
Ukraine.
The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the European
Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep
Borrell also attended the online conference. The participants discussed
different topics. The first one was COVID-19, and the consequences of
the crisis. The second — the strategic partnership, and the third one —
the future of the Eastern Partnership.
Charles Michel stated that strong European support clearly shows the
importance the EU gives to the Eastern Partnership. Leaders expressed
the political will to continue building an area of shared democracy,
prosperity and stability, anchored in shared values, through a
rules-based international order and international law. It was
reaffirmed that the Eastern Partnership is a foreign policy priority
for the European Union, and it will continue to be one, along with the
European priorities of democracy, human rights, rule of law, gender
equality, structural reforms and fighting disinformation.
Over the last decade, the cooperation between the EU and the Eastern
Partnership countries has flourished. Trade between the EU and its six
partners has doubled. Together, the Eastern Partnership countries are
now the EU's 10th largest trading partner. The EU is the number one
trading partner for four Eastern Partnership countries and the second
trading partner for the other two.
The Eastern Partnership turned 11 in May 2020. This foreign policy
format of the EU's cooperation with its neighbours was launched on 7
May 2009 at the initiative of Poland and Sweden. It covers 27 EU member
states and 6 Eastern European neighbours — Azerbaijan, Belarus,
Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The initial goal of this format
was to deepen cooperation between the countries of Eastern Europe and
the South Caucasus with the EU.
The new Eastern Partnership policy is to be adopted by the member
states at the summit in early 2021.